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Shocking vision emerges of jockey punching horse in the head

Irish jockey Davy Russell is under investigation after vision emerged of him punching a horse in the head over the weekend.

The Irish Turf Club will examine footage that was uploaded to social media after the racing event in Tranmore, Ireland over the weekend.

The incident was completely missed by stewards at Tranmore, but quickly rose to prominence after Twitter user drewboy uploaded a video that clearly showed Russell lashing out at his horse.

Watch the vision in the player at the top of the page.

The moment Russell appears to punch the horse. Pic: At The Races
The moment Russell appears to punch the horse. Pic: At The Races

"So it's ok to punch a horse in the head if ya riding it. That's animal cruelty, no excuses, and what does the prick get? A caution," drewboy wrote.

The chief executive of the Turf Club, Denis Egan, confirmed the incident was being examined.

"The stewards weren’t aware of it. Just brought to my attention 30 mins ago. Will be followed up," he said.

The incident in question occurred as Russell is inspecting a hurdle in the middle of the course with his horse.

The horse, Kings Dolly, appears to stumble near the hurdle, before Russell lashes out at it.

Russell is one of the most respected jump jockeys in the business, leaving many to be shocked by the vision of his aggressive act.

The RSPCA even took time to respond to the video on Twitter as many people online attempted to involve them in the conversation.